health


Hearing loss more prevalent in the North, study reveals 25/01/2022 Northerners over 50 have a 13.5% higher prevalence of hearing loss than Southerners in England, University of Manchester researchers have revealed.
Quit smoking services under threat from lack of funds 24/01/2022 Local authority-run efforts to help people quit smoking have improved during the pandemic but are under threat due to underfunding, charities warn.
Cyclist Chris Boardman appointed active travel commissioner 24/01/2022 Cyclist Chris Boardman is to become national commissioner of the Government’s new cycling and walking body, Active Travel England (ATE), which launches today.
Staff shortages are ‘excessively high’, warn care providers 13/01/2022 Homecare providers are warning that they are having to refuse new requests for home care because of Omicron and ongoing staffing problems.
Sandwell calls for action on test shortage 06/01/2022 A council has written to ministers after it was forced to step in to alleviate a shortage of COVID testing kits.
School leaders warn of ‘logistical difficulties’ due to COVID absences 05/01/2022 School leaders have warned of ‘logistical difficulties’ after the education secretary recommended combining classes to deal with workforce shortages.
London boroughs consider cannabis decriminalisation 05/01/2022 Three London boroughs could be part of a pilot scheme aimed at diverting young people caught with a small amount of cannabis away from the justice system.
Social care leaders warn of ‘national emergency’ 23/12/2021 Leaders from the social care sector are urging people to take extra precautions to limit the spread of Omicron in order to protect adult social care services.
Omission of gyms from Omicron relief criticised as ‘shameful’ 23/12/2021 The industry association representing gyms and sports centres has criticised the Government for omitting their members from the latest COVID support measures.
Government sets out plans to tackle gender health gap 23/12/2021 The Government has announced that it will ban hymenoplasty and appoint a Women’s Health Ambassador as part of the effort to close the gender health gap.
School leaders warn GCSEs and A-Levels could be at risk 21/12/2021 School leaders are preparing for the possibility that exams and assessments might be disrupted next year as a result of Omicron.
Councils to receive over £22m to boost vaccine uptake 20/12/2021 Volunteers are to be deployed across the areas with the lowest vaccine uptake and councils are to receive a funding boost to encourage people to get jabbed.
County council launches ‘Vaxi Taxi’ scheme 14/12/2021 Suffolk County Council has partnered with local taxi companies to offer a free taxi service to help young people get the COVID-19 vaccination.
Welsh councils offer £100 winter fuel payment 13/12/2021 Eligible people in Wales will be able to claim a £100 payment from their local authority to provide support towards paying their winter fuel bills.
Council chiefs welcome £300m social care funding 13/12/2021 Council leaders welcome a new package to protect the care sector this winter, but warned that long-term investment was needed to make social care sustainable.
Connecting councils and providers to improve care services 10/12/2021 Amal Nawarathna explains how Barnet Council is using data and market insight to improve care quality assurance.
Councils thanked for ‘integral’ role in fighting COVID 08/12/2021 Local Government Association (LGA) has thanked councils for their role in supporting the COVID-19 vaccine programme one year on from the start of its roll-out.
Enhanced Area Status extended for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire 07/12/2021 The Government has agreed to extend the Enhanced Area Status for an extra three weeks in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire in a bid to drive down COVID-19 rates.
Over £23m plan to end HIV infections launched 01/12/2021 The Government has announced a new multi-million-pound action plan aimed at ending new HIV infections and deaths by 2030.
Councils urged to invest in public toilets 30/11/2021 The majority of UK adults want more investment from local councils to ensure that public toilets are clean and safe, a new survey has revealed.
Councils undertake targeted testing to help stem spread of Omicron variant 29/11/2021 Targeted testing and contact tracing is taking place in Essex and Nottingham after two cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant were identified in the UK for the first time.
Social care reform: what lies ahead? 25/11/2021 Sally Warren lays out four principles that should be at the centre of a ‘radically realistic’ White Paper on social care reform and asks if its vision will be the right one?
Commuter train line exposed to ‘extreme levels’ of pollution 22/11/2021 Three councils have warned that residents living near the commuter train line running through the Chilterns are being exposed to dangerous levels of pollution.
Local knowledge essential for boosting vaccine take-up, study finds 19/11/2021 Local knowledge and leadership could be key in efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine take-up across different communities, new research has found.
London’s ULEZ resulted in ‘only small improvements in air quality’ 17/11/2021 London’s ULEZ has had little impact on air quality and is only effective as part of a wider approach to reducing carbon emissions, researchers say.
Childhood obesity ‘one of the greatest public health challenges’ 17/11/2021 Local authority leaders urge Government to do more to tackle childhood obesity as the NHS warns of a ‘significant increase’ in obesity rates among children.
Social prescribing held back by data infrastructure, report finds 02/11/2021 A lack of available data and solid data infrastructure is preventing social prescribing from reaching its full potential, a report has warned.
Three local authorities get extra COVID support 01/11/2021 Extra support is being given to three local authorities in the East of England to help tackle the rise in COVID-19 cases.
End ‘scandalously low fee rates’, say homecare providers 26/10/2021 Councils should be better funded and required to pay more for care, says the UK’s membership body for homecare providers.
Pandemic had 'devastating' health impact on shielded population, says charity 20/10/2021 Urgent action is needed to tackle the unmet health need and worsening mental health of those people asked to shield during the pandemic, a charity has said.
Councils to explore innovative ways of tackling health inequalities 20/10/2021 Five councils are to take part in a new programme which will see them introduce innovative ways of improving health and tackling health inequalities.
Think-tank makes call for wellbeing budgets 18/10/2021 The Government should introduce ‘wellbeing budgets’ that look beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce regional health inequalities, a think-tank has urged.
Study finds 'alarming' fall in life expectancy even before pandemic 13/10/2021 Life expectancy has fallen in many parts of England over the past decade, a new study has revealed.
Poor housing making millions of people sick, charity warns 13/10/2021 Housing problems are harming the physical and mental health of one in five renters in England, new research from Shelter has revealed.
Council to offer all staff a free flu jab 12/10/2021 Moray Council will offer all its staff the chance to get the seasonal flu vaccination in a bid to reduce sickness absence and improve wellbeing.
Council chiefs criticise Government’s ‘central first, local later’ COVID response 12/10/2021 Local authority leaders have said that councils could have been given ‘a greater role’ in the initial response to COVID-19 after MPs criticised the Government for pursuing a strategy of ‘central first, local later’.
MPs call for post-COVID recovery strategy for new parents 07/10/2021 MPs have called on Government to publish a COVID-19 recovery strategy for new parents which should include a fund to help councils arrange in-person visits.
Draft guidelines to help reduce health inequalities for homeless people 06/10/2021 Mobile outreach services and drop-in centres could help reduce barriers homeless people experience accessing health and care services, according to new guidelines.
Tennis courts in deprived areas to receive £30m investment 04/10/2021 The Government has announced a £30m package to refurbish thousands of public tennis courts in deprived parts of UK.
Launch of far-reaching review into health and social care leadership 04/10/2021 Ministers have launched a review of health and social care leadership in England.
Keeping patients out of hospital: Why one council is spending money on health tech 01/10/2021 A pre-pandemic vision in Stockport to invest in remote care is now having a big impact on preventing costly and distressing hospital admissions, and is keeping people supported at home. Mark Fitton explains how.
Decade of improvement in life expectancy undone by pandemic, data reveals 24/09/2021 The pandemic has undone a decade of improvement in life expectancy, a health think tank has warned.
Free 'Glasses in Classes' to boost literacy 23/09/2021 Thousands of children will receive two pairs of free glasses as part of a trial to improve literacy.
Wales introduces COVID passes for events 17/09/2021 People will have to show a NHS COVID Pass to enter nightclubs and attend events in Wales from next month, the First Minister announced today.
Consultation on mandatory COVID vaccines launched 09/09/2021 The Government has launched a consultation on plans for staff in health and care settings in England to be required to have COVID-19 and flu vaccines.
Khan warns of link between air pollution and COVID 07/09/2021 New research has found a link between a person’s exposure to air pollution and the severity with which they will experience the effects of COVID-19.
‘No evidence’ integration improves healthcare 03/09/2021 New analysis of health and care integration pilots has questioned the benefits they bring about.
Disabled people 'failed' by key policy areas, think tank warns 03/09/2021 The pandemic has deepened inequalities in health, income and employment for disabled people, a think tank has warned today.
Government set to hike NI to pay for care and health 03/09/2021 Government is set to plough ahead with plans to raise national insurance to fund health and social, with an announcement expected next week.
Government commits £5m to help councils resettle Afghan refugees 01/09/2021 Local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland will receive £5m to help fund the resettlement of refugees who are fleeing the Taliban.
Dramatic increase in lockdown smoking ‘ticking time bomb’ 25/08/2021 Campaigners have urged the Government to be more ambitious in tackling smoking as new figures reveal a rise in the number of young people becoming addicts.
Schools to receive £25m for CO2 monitors 23/08/2021 All state-funded schools are to receive carbon dioxide monitors from September to help tackle COVID-19, the Government has announced.
ME/CFS charities ‘shocked’ at national guidelines delay 18/08/2021 Charities representing people with ME/CFS have said they are ‘shocked’ at pause of the publication of of guidelines on the diagnosis of the medical condition.
Drug users urged to be careful after high number of overdoses 18/08/2021 Drug users have been urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses.
Unions call for better ventilation in schools to reduce COVID disruption 17/08/2021 Education unions have written to Gavin Williamson urging the Government to take action to improve ventilation in schools to reduce further COVID disruption.
Over three million children exposed to ‘dangerous’ levels of air pollution 16/08/2021 More than 3.1 million children across England are going to schools in areas exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) limits on PM2.5, City Hall has revealed.
Type 2 diabetes in children up by nearly 60% 16/08/2021 Council chiefs urged Government to ensure long-term funding for council weight management services as they warned of increase in Type 2 diabetes in children.
Council considers forcing unvaccinated to use sick days in COVID cases 13/08/2021 Unvaccinated workers at Knowsley Council might have to use sick days if they need to self-isolate after contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
COVID-19 measures ‘reduced the risk of infection in school’, data shows 12/08/2021 Special measures put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections in schools have proven to be effective, new data suggests.
Councils call for urgent action to tackle health inequalities 30/07/2021 The pandemic has 'cruelly exposed and exacerbated' health and social inequalities, council leaders have warned.
Javid launches £75m autism strategy 21/07/2021 The Government today launched a new multi-million pound strategy to help improve the lives of people with autism.
Coastal towns have ‘worst health outcomes’, Whitty warns 21/07/2021 A national strategy is needed to tackle the serious health problems of coastal communities, England’s chief medical officer has warned today.
Vaccinated social care staff no longer required to self-isolate 19/07/2021 Health leaders have been left divided by the Government’s announcement that fully vaccinated social care staff and NHS workers who have been told to self-isolate will be allowed to continue working.
PM announces £50m football pitch funding 16/07/2021 The PM has announced a £50m investment in football pitches to help support the wave of interest in the sport inspired by EURO 2020 and Women’s EURO 2022.
Johnson: Bring your devolution plans to me 15/07/2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for local leaders to take their devolution plans to him in a keynote speech from the West Midlands this morning.
MPs warn care of people with learning disabilities is 'totally inadequate' 13/07/2021 Autistic people and those with learning disabilities are still experiencing 'unnecessary and intolerable' treatment at inpatient facilities, MPs have warned today.
St Helens MBC: Dream team looks to a bright future 12/07/2021 St Helens is reinventing itself with a new breed of council and radical projects that will revitalise the borough
Protests force council to close COVID vaccination service 12/07/2021 Brighton & Hove City Council was forced to close its mobile vaccination van yesterday following protests from anti-lockdown campaigners.
Javid vows to reform social care 'quite soon' 08/07/2021 New health secretary Sajid Javid has promised to bring forward plans for social care reform ‘quite soon’, but failed to commit to an exact timetable.
Liverpool's COVID-19 mass testing pilot cut cases by a fifth 07/07/2021 Liverpool's community testing pilot managed to reduce COVID-19 cases by more than a fifth, an evaluation of the project has found.
Councils call for better understanding of lasting impact of COVID-19 06/07/2021 Council leaders have called for funding and research to understand the long-term health and care impact of COVID-19.
Inquiry finds people in poorest areas 'nearly four times more likely' to die from COVID 06/07/2021 People living in the poorest parts of England were almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those in the wealthiest areas, new research has uncovered.
Most vulnerable to be offered booster COVID jabs ahead of winter 01/07/2021 The Government has announced that those most vulnerable to COVID-19 may be offered a booster vaccination from September.
COVID vaccination programme prevents 27,000 deaths 29/06/2021 The COVID-19 vaccination programme has so far prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England, according to the latest research.
Over two million people thought to have long COVID 24/06/2021 Two million people in England are thought to have suffered from long COVID - with a tenth of those experiencing severe symptoms - according to new research.
Councils receive extra COVID support as lockdown easing delayed 15/06/2021 The Government has announced additional support to help Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington tackle the Delta variant of COVID-19.
COVID cases on the rise in Greater Manchester and Lancashire 09/06/2021 Additional COVID-19 measures, including surge testing, tracing, and isolation support, are to be deployed across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
Health spending rises by record quarter 01/06/2021 Spending on taxpayer-funded health services rose by a record 25% to £220bn last year as the NHS battled with pandemic costs, according to latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Surrey becomes first county in England to provide free period products 28/05/2021 Surrey County Council has become the first local authority in England to provide free period products.
CQC launches new ‘dynamic and flexible’ strategy 27/05/2021 The health and social care regulator, Care Quality Commission (CQC), has launched a new strategy which places more of an emphasis on how well local health and care systems are working and addressing local challenges.
Councils to pilot new self-isolation support scheme 24/05/2021 Nine local authorities have been chosen to pilot new ways of supporting people needing to self-isolate.
New measures rolled out across COVID variant hotspots 20/05/2021 Surge testing and additional vaccines are being made available to local authorities experiencing a rise in the Indian COVID variant, the Government has announced.
Hancock warns 86 council areas have five or more cases of Indian variant 18/05/2021 There are 86 local authority areas with five or more confirmed cases of the Indian variant of COVID-19, the health secretary has said.
Council chiefs warn lack of social care reform could ‘destabilise’ health care 14/05/2021 Local authority leaders have warned that the absence of a long-term, fully funded plan for social care could destabilise other health and care reforms.
More than 100 leisure centres could go bust, DCN warns 13/05/2021 More than 100 leisure centres in England could go bust due to the coronavirus crisis, district councils have warned.
Multi-million funding boost to tackle inequalities in accessing sport 13/05/2021 An extra £20m will be invested by Sport England to tackle inequalities in accessing sport and physical activities.
Green social prescribing projects chosen for funding 13/05/2021 Funding has been awarded to 10 green social prescribing projects to help communities recover from COVID-19.
London council offers paid leave for miscarriage sufferers 12/05/2021 Barking and Dagenham Council has announced it will give paid leave for any of its staff who suffer the loss of an unborn baby.
Council chiefs call for care ‘fix’ after lockdown impacts mobility of millions 11/05/2021 The ability of one in four older people to do everyday activities has worsened during the pandemic, research from the charity Age UK has revealed.
'Health is made at home, hospitals are for repairs' 06/05/2021 Lord Nigel Crisp says coalitions of local interest have a vital role when it comes to improving lives. Councils as guardians of places will always have a key part to play, ‘whatever the future arrangements for managing health and social care’.
Public call for underlying inequalities laid bare by COVID to be addressed 05/05/2021 More than three quarters of UK adults are calling for action to address the underlying inequalities exposed by COVID, a new poll has revealed.
Government told to reconsider plans to stop face mask requirement in school 05/05/2021 Scientists have joined with unions, parents and students to urge Government to reconsider plans to stop requiring children to wear face coverings at school.
Shielding scheme took too long to identify up to 800,000, says PAC 20/04/2021 MPs have hit out at the Government’s ‘quickly drawn up’ COVID-19 shielding programme for taking too long to identify up to 800,000 people who may have missed out on help.
COVID-19 self-test kits rolled out across Wales 16/04/2021 The Welsh government is encouraging all those who cannot work from home to access lateral flow self-test kits as they are rolled out across Wales.
Lockdown rules eased in Scotland ahead of schedule 16/04/2021 New rules governing travel and outdoor socialising in Scotland have come into force today.
Pandemic drives increase in ‘stress-smoking’ 15/04/2021 COVID-19 has led to more than half of smokers ‘stress-smoking’ more and 10% lighting up again after quitting, a survey suggests.
Largest surge testing operation deployed in South London 13/04/2021 The largest surge testing operation to date will take place across parts of South London where the variant first identified in South Africa has been found.
Surge testing in Bolton announced 31/03/2021 Additional testing is being deployed in Bolton where one case of the COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa has been identified.
Funding for addiction services slashed by £26m 29/03/2021 Doctors have called on the Government to invest £43m into youth addiction services to prevent lifelong addiction.
Welsh government starts to re-open tourism sector 26/03/2021 Wales’ tourism sector will be able to start re-opening from tomorrow as the stay-local rule is lifted, first minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

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Public Property

This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.

The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.